It has been a while since my last post, but I feel compelled to write about one of my favorite movies of 2024 so far: “Deadpool and Wolverine”. Please note that my favorite movies of 2016 was “Deadpool”. I felt like it was made just for me! Lots of action and an incredible amount of snark. This latest entry lives up to that reputation. Deadpool is his old self, sarcastic, not taking anything seriously and funny as hell. The addition of Wolverine gives the movie added juice. Hugh Jackman’s Logan is serious and acts as the perfect straight man to Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool. Lots of action and lots of asides, some of them aimed at Disney, the studio that made this film. There is blood and gore but it’s all in the name of fun. I will probably go see it again.

George Clooney’s latest directorial project is “The Boys in the Boat”, the story of the University of Washington’s Junior Varsity crew team and their trip to the 1936 Olympics in Munich. It’s a true under dog story with compelling characters, lots of action and the race sequences will keep you on the edge of your seat. Joel Edgerton is the only actor you may recognize. Most of the others are relatively new. This film is a real crowd pleaser, somewhat reminiscent of “Chariots of Fire”. It’s just an enjoyable movie. Don’t miss it.

“The Iron Claw” is the story of a family involved in big time wrestling in the early 1980’s. Four brothers are bred for championship wrestling in Texas by a father who is single minded in his ambitions. Zac Efron plays the oldest brother. This is a very different role for Efron. The rest of the cast are good and each brother has their own personality. It is basically a story of survival. The scenes in the ring are realistic and interesting to watch. So is the over the top bragging before the television cameras. I wouldn’t call this a sports movie as much as a family drama. Not for everyone, but worth seeing.

Alexander Payne’s new movie is “The Holdovers”. It’s the story of three lonely people who are thrown together at a prep school during winter vacation. Paul Giamati plays the teacher forced to chaperone the student who has no place to go. The latter is played by Dominic Tessa, a newcomer, and he gives a great performance. Finally the head cook is at the school. Da’Vine Joy Randolph deserves the Oscar buzz she is getting for her role. She is the heart of this movie. Unlike most of Payne’s movies the characters aren’t aloof or hard to relate to. Giamati gives his least affected performance. I liked this film a lot. Getting to know the back stories was interesting and entertaining. Definitely worth seeing.

“Poor Things” is the new film from director Yorgos Lanthimos, who helmed “The Lobster” (which I hated), and “The Favorite” (which I loved). Lanthimos does not do normal storylines and “Poor Things” is no exception. An eccentric doctor experiments with animals and human organs. He comes across a recently dead woman, reanimates her and teaches her everything from scratch. It’s a cross between science fiction, horror, gothic and comedy. Emma Stone plays Bella, the reincarnated woman and it is quite a performance, definitely worthy of an Oscar nomination. The doctor is played by Wilhem Dafoe as a mad genius who believes everything he is doing is normal. Mark Ruffalo plays a cad who steals Bella away. While this film is very strange and not for all people, I enjoyed it. It’s different and very well done.

“Maestro” tells the story of Leonard Bernstein, the brilliant and famous conductor and composer. I remember him from the Young Peoples’ Concerts he used to do on TV. His life was as interesting as his work. Bernstein is played by Bradley Cooper, who also directed, and he is spot on. He looks and sounds just like him. The film does not shy away from Bernstein’s flaws. In the reviews I read critics praised Carey Mulligan’s performance as Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre. I couldn’t agree more. She was brilliant! She gives a multifaceted performance, starting off as an ingenue and growing into an intense, mature woman. Look for her performance at awards time. This is a good, but not great biography.

I was never a huge fan of “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” but Gene Wilder was one of my favorites, so I admired the film. The Johnny Depp/Tim Burton was technically quite good but it didn’t have the heart of the original. So I went to see “Wonka” without high expectations but was pleasantly surprised. First of all Timothee Chalamet was wonderful as a young Willie. Who knew he could sing and dance? He brought an amount of whimsy similar to Gene Wilder. Olivia Colman did a good job as the nasty lady and the three candy factory owners brought the right amount of villainy and comedy. The film has lapses of sentimentality, but it is tolerable. However it was Hugh Grant who stole the movie! He is as you have never seen him. Go for the story, music and overall acting but stay for Hugh Grant. And don’t leave until the credits are over.

I have enjoyed Nicolas Cage’s last few movies, especially “The Retirement Plan” and “Renfield”, so I thought I would give “Dream Scenario” a shot. The premise looked interesting. A man starts appearing in people’s dreams. Cage plays a nerdy, middle aged professor who gets thrown into this bizarre scenario. Well I was disappointed. The premise is one-note and the acting is monotonous. I sat in the theater wanting it to be over. None of the characters were compelling. This is the type of movie that should be avoided. It was lousy.

Emerald Fennell’s first movie was “Promising Young Woman” which was unique, different and disturbing. She won an Oscar for writing. Her second movie is “Saltburn” which is also unique and disturbing. The first half tells the story of a nerdy Oxford student who longs to be in the popular crowd. He befriends a wealthy and popular student who takes him under his wing. This part of the film is pretty normal. The second half of the movie takes place at the wealthy student’s estate, Saltburn. That is when things start to get dark. The rich boy is played by Jacob Elori and the other by Barry Keoghan, who was so good in “The Banshees of Inisherin” last year. He gives an outstanding performance again. Rosamund Pike plays Elori’s mother and she steals the movie. She is very British, very eccentric and very funny. The tone of the film changes in the second half and has a number of twists. Not as good as “Promising Young Woman”, but worth seeing. Look for Keoghan and Pike to be up for some acting awards.

“Dicks: The Musical” is based on an off-Broadway play written by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson about two identical twin brothers who were separated at birth by their parents and do not know about each other. It sounds like “The Parent Trap”, but it couldn’t be farther from that. It s very profane and very funny. The parents are played by Megan Mullalay and Nathan Lane and their characters are extremely eccentric. A lot of jokes are over the top and tasteless, but funny. The songs are perky. This is not a “West Side Story” or “The Sound of Music” kind of musical. Be forewarned.